


Wolf's Vendetta

by TavernLights



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Angst, Animal Death, Blood and Gore, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends, Eventual Romance, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gangs, Half the cats are queer I'm not sorry, Hornet is a jock, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Kittypets (Warriors), Mentors, Multi, Original Cat Clans (Warriors), Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outsiders (Warriors), POV Wolf, Pre-Canon, Religious Content, Roleplay OCs, Romance, Romantic Tension, Slow Burn, Sorry Not Sorry, The Tempered - Freeform, Warriors RP Characters, all OCs - Freeform, apprentices, no canon characters, prequel story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27393988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TavernLights/pseuds/TavernLights
Summary: Learn about how Wolf got to where she is now in this prequel to the Discord & Tumblr Warriors Roleplay: The Lake Territories! (On Tumblr at @thelaketerritories)When the serious young street cat, Wolf, leaves her kin to pursue a separate future she hopes exist beyond her junkyard, she finds herself alone in the dangerous city where gangs of rogues clash together in a constant struggle for food and territory. She is convinced she will have to find her way around life alone, but all that changes when she meets a powerful group of good-natured street cats known as "The Tempered" who invite her to join them. It's a bloody world out there, but with the spiritually-driven gang watching out for her, she isn't facing it alone. But the Tempered aren't the only powerhouse around town; what will happen when Wolf's new family is threatened by the power-hungry, Don, and his viscous brother, Marcos?
Relationships: OC/OC, Prophet Mary/Jinx, Wolf/Hornet
Comments: 1





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! Hope you guys enjoy this prequel story in the Warriors novella style to give you a look into Wolf's treacherous past! Her's is a story of love and loss, she really puts the fun in funeral! (I'm so sorry y'all I couldn't help myself.) Comments & feedback are always appreciated! This won't have a clear update schedule, but I will try to update consistently and not leave y'all hanging for a while!

**THE TEMPERED**

**Prophet**

Prophet Mary- _lithe hairless molly who intentionally blinded her left eye_

**Advisors**

Mason- _broad-shouldered, sleek-furred brown tabby tom with a scar across his cheek_

Yarrow- _shaggy ginger and white tom with large paws_

**Tempered**

Tango- _bright yellow and white tom-cat with brown eyes_

Jinx- _dark ginger tabby tom with green eyes_

Christine- _grey and white spotted molly with shaggy fur_

Grey- _dark grey she-cat with brown eyes_

Pearl- _light cream tom with sleek fur_

Harlem- _dark ginger tabby tom with a white mask_

Twist- _scruffy tan tom with brown tabby stripes_

Lex- _sleek muscular blue she-cat_

Splash- _gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes_

Maxwell- _pale brown and white tabby tom_

Ollie- _skinny ginger cat with tiny paws and spiky fur_

**Trainees**

Hornet- _handsome, sleek ginger tabby tom with darker stripes and kind green eyes_

Pudge- _cream and gray tabby tom with blue eyes_

Jasmine- _mottled brown she-cat_

Wolf- _A gorgeous black ticked tabby she-cat with a thick mane of fur that travels down her spine and ice blue eyes_

**Monarchs**

Clay- _dark cream she-cat with green eyes_

**Kits**

Timber- _brown tabby she-cat with green eyes_

Speck- _cream and brown spotted she-cat_

**Seniors**

Lionel- _old ginger tom with a greying muzzle_

**DON’S GANG**

**Leader**

Don- _massive white tom with sharp features, amber eyes, and yellowed teeth_

**Right-Hand**

Marcos- _muscular white tom with sleek fur, many scars, and yellow eyes_

**Medic**

Scar-fur- _light brown tom with green eyes and many battle-scars_

**Members**

Apple- _dark ginger cat with long legs_

Tyler- _light brown and white tabby tom with brown eyes_

Bone- _stocky white and light grey tabby she-cat with a black collar_

Rocky- _dark grey she-cat with one eye_

Buster- _pale ginger tom-cat with green eyes_

Meadow- _calico tom with a stub for a tail_

Bonnie- _fluffy blue she-cat with black stripes_

Growl- _old, heavily scarred, white tom with thick, matted fur_

Flame- _ginger molly with a long tail_

Rough-tooth- _old white she-cat with one ear and a twisted jaw_

Crisp- _small, lithe, black tabby tom_

Marge- _old, battle-scarred, blue she-cat with a greying muzzle_

Sickle- _pale cream tom-cat with green eyes_

Jaeger- _fluffy black tom-cat_

Rosa- _broad siamese she-cat with blue eyes_

Marta- _skinny siamese she-cat with blue eyes_

Speck- _spotted tortoiseshell tom with a white belly_

Rip-tail- _silver tabby molly missing half her tail and patches of fur_


	2. On Her Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wolf is all alone in this vast, dangerous city... but will she be alone for long?

The morning was cool as the cold of the coming snow season began to drift into the city on the wind, rustling through the quiet streets. There was very little noise, only the occasional rustling litter being blown across the cracked concrete and the soft whirring of air conditioning units outside the stacked twoleg dens. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, leaving a dim whisper of the dawning sun filtered in between the tall stone lodges that the strange "house-folk" as the kittypets often called them resided in. 

Wolf had never understood kittypets. The thought of being cared for by some alien twoleg who couldn't understand a word of what the smoky black she-cat said was repulsive. And the strange pebble-like food that the twolegs left out at times was one of the worst tasting things Wolf had ever had the displeasure to have eaten. It just seemed like such a bland, autonomous life. Thankfully, the young cat wasn’t born into one of these households.

No, instead she was born to a street cat called Scrap. She stayed with her mother until she was around nine or so moon cycles old, when she was finally able to live, hunt, and fight on her own. This was just how life was, Wolf knew nothing else. Kits weren’t close to their dams or sometimes even their siblings, her mother knew she would be sending them off when they were old enough, and though Wolf didn’t exactly understand what her mother meant by “you weren’t supposed to happen”, she assumed it was just something mother’s told their kits. 

Nine days ago, Wolf had separated from her family in search of her future. So far, she hadn’t had much luck. The fluffy black she-cat padded through the quiet streets, ears held alert and muscles taut, ready to spring for cover at the slightest hint of danger. There was a dreadfully familiar rumble in her gut, she had only caught two small mice in her time alone, and had to give up half of her last one to a nasty old stray with matted brown fur and one wide eye that didn’t seem to be able to focus on anything. 

Dipping into an alleyway, Wolf crouched, icy blue eyes focused intently on the dark ahead of her, praying to see or hear the rustle of prey. Her head snapped to her left, ears angled towards a sudden shuffle coming from the darkness. Dawn hadn’t fully pierced the horizon yet, leaving the streets under a dim, dusky cover as the first rays of sunlight began to slowly filter down. Narrowing her eyes, Wolf took a tentative step forward, careful not to step on any of the crinkly white leaves the two-legs seemed to drop all the time, again, she heard a shuffle, then the scent hit her nose as she let her jaws hang open to help pinpoint it. She could see just enough to make out the shape of two large rats, clambering amongst the trash at the back of the alleyway, edged up against a wire fence. She had to be careful about this… any quick movements, might alert the rats to her presence and if they scampered through the woven wire, it would be long gone before Wolf could climb over in pursuit. 

Holding as still as possible, she began to stalk forward, tail held off the ground and eyes focused intently. She hardly even breathed as she approached the massive rats. They smelled absolutely rancid, like they’d been rolling in the gutters that Wolf didn’t even go _near_ for weeks on end. Their matted fur reeked and those dark beady eyes held an off-putting malice. _Ugh._ Wolf thought, scrunching up her face and trying to ignore the smell. _If I had any other options, these rats would be my last resort for food!_ However she didn’t have any other options and she noted that it was very unlikely she could grab both.… so one foul-smelling rat had to do. 

“Kekekekeke!” A sudden sound, like a clicking chirp, startled Wolf out of her focus. It didn’t sound like a bird, or like some twoleg contraption- “Kekekekeke!” There it was again! But this time, it came from her otherside. She wouldn’t let these noises startle her into alerting her prey, she needed to eat! But despite her best efforts, the fur along her spine began to prickle with unease, bright blue eyes darting back and forth between where the sounds were coming from. 

Her muscles tightened as the rat looked up, seemingly just as confused and tense as Wolf was. Wolf flattened herself to the concrete walls, no longer focused on the prey. _There are more cats here!_ She realized with a spike of fear. A loud yowl pierced the quiet of the alley as a lithe brown tabby bounded past Wolf, seemingly not noticing her. The rats bolted through the fence, escaping the tabby right as he reached the pile of rubbish. _There was no way he was going to catch that!_ Wolf thought, blinking rapidly with confusion. _Surely he knew that?_

The fluffy black rogue stood up, shaking out her thick mane of fur with a growl of frustration as she watched the rat race away from the fence. Suddenly, out of nowhere, two cats leapt from the metal overhangs and gutters of the two twoleg establishments on either side of the alley, landing with a practiced precision on top of one mouse, then the other. The blue she-cat who had leapt first, delivered a quick killing blow to the back of her quarry’s neck then she sat back and began grooming her paws as if that catch was simple enough for a kit to do. The tan tom-cat who had landed second seemed to have the more aggressive rat. It wriggled free of his paws, making a mad dash for a sewer grate. The tom’s paws were quick in grasping at the ground after it, missing twice before both paws found purchase in the matted black fur of the rat’s back. Rats were large compared to mice, a challenge for cats to catch- and even more of a challenge to kill. It flailed wildly, nearly tipping the tom off balance and letting out a screech of fury as it snapped it’s toothy jaws at the cat, but it was all rendered in vain as a sharp _snap_ rang through the alley and the rodent fell limp with one last shuddering breath. 

The brown tabby let out a satisfied purr as the two other cats climbed back over the fence with their prey between their jaws, though the molly’s nearly got caught on the spiky wiring at the top. He turned around, and his calm hazel gaze fell directly onto Wolf’s shocked face.

“Hey there, kid.” He meowed, crouching down to beckon her forward with a nod. Wolf was still small, old enough to be on her own, but still a kid, meaning the older tom was about twice her size with his broad-shoulders and his strong muscles that were clear under his short, sleek pelt. Now that he was crouching, they were about the same height, Wolf was maybe just a little taller. “Sorry if I scared you there.” 

Wolf raised her eyebrows, slinking out from the shadows and rolling her shoulders back, standing up tall just as her mother had taught her. The scent of blood caught her attention as the blue she-cat licked her jaws, cleaning it of the evidence of her kill. _That was my meal!_ She let out a fierce hiss, the ridge of dark fur along her spine bristling with anger.  
“That was mine!” She snarled, circling around to face the three cats. She was wildly out numbered… but at this point, she was so hungry that it no longer mattered. Her belly was nearly growling as loud as she was. 

“Well isn’t she a little firecracker!” The spiky furred tan tom meowed to his friends, chuckling. 

“Quiet, Twist.” The brown tabby meowed sternly without looking back at his companions, hazel gaze focused calmly on Wolf. He looked unbothered, and almost amused. “Ignore them,” He added, completely unthreatened by Wolf’s hiss, but the fur along he hackles prickled when she unsheathed her sharp claws. “The name’s Mason, these two are Twist and Lex.” Lex gave Wolf a relaxed, youthful grin. 

Wolf wasn’t buying this kindness- or whatever it was. She heard Scrap’s voice echoing in her head. _“Trust no one, if you let your guard down, you’re good as dead. Every cat out here wants to hurt you.”_ Sure, her mother was jaded and angry at the world… but she trusted that advice at the very least. Letting out another hiss and baring her teeth, Wolf crouched low, bunching up her hindquarters. “You stole my meal! Give it back- or I’ll _take_ it back!” All three cats were older, larger, and clearly more skilled than her. The scar across Mason’s cheek showed that quite clearly. 

“Woah-woah, calm down, kid.” Mason sat down and took the rat that Twist had killed. The dark cream tom made a sputtering sound of disbelief, reaching for it dramatically with outstretched claws and Lex had to cover her muzzle with her paw to hide her giggles. “If you calm down, sit, and talk to us, you can eat this rat.” 

“She can _what?_ ” 

“Twist.” Mason warned sternly, and the younger cat backed down. 

After a moment of quiet contemplation, Wolf relaxed her narrowed blue eyes and willed the black fur along her back to lay flat. She crept forward and quickly grabbed the rat, it’s limp body dragging as she bounded back a few paces. Almost as soon as she let go and crouched down, Wolf began tearing into the mouthwatering prey. The rank smell of the sewers that clung to it’s fur didn’t deter her from burying her nose in the still-warm belly of the rat, unbothered by the blood that now coated her dark grey muzzle. She couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh of contentment as she swallowed and looked up to the brown tabby who watched her with amusement sparkling in his eyes. 

“Thank you.” She mumbled gratefully between bites, ripping into the flesh of her meal without regard for how feral she must look. 

Mason chuckled, nodding to Lex and Twist, who began to their own rat. “Aren’t you gonna eat, boss?” Lex asked, swiping her tongue over her muzzle. The tabby shook his head, laying down on his side and giving Wolf a relaxed smile. 

“No, Clay and I shared a squirrel back at the church.” 

“Ah, makes sense.” 

“So,” Mason licked at his shoulder as he addressed the young black she-cat. “What’s your name?” 

Muzzle still buried in the large rat, chewing feverishly, she replied bluntly, “Wolf.”

The dark brown tabby nodded, watch as she tore into the freshkill. He looked a little surprised at how ferocious her bites were, after all the last time she had eaten was nearly four days ago. “What gang are you with?” He asked, exchanging a glance with his companions. 

Wolf looked up, brow knitted with confusion. “Gang?” She asked, swiping her tongue over her jaws. 

“Yeah, gang.” 

“What’s a gang?” 

Twist laughed warmly, an amused grin on his face. “Lone cats don’t live very long out here, well, not comfortably. Most of us form groups called gangs. So even if you ain’t got no blood-kin, you still gotcha gang to watch your back.”

Wolf nodded slowly, the fog of confusion clearing slightly. “Uh-huh… but I’m not in a gang, so why’d you give me food?” 

The morning sun had risen, bathing the streets in a warm light, still dim, but warm. Wolf felt her shoulders relax. _They aren’t like Scrap said,_ She thought, the hint of a smile crossing her face. _These cats aren’t trying to hurt me._ Mason licked his paws thoughtfully, sighing gently. 

He answered her question in a soft, somewhat morose meow. “Most gangs wouldn’t help you out. Most gangs are out for themselves and themselves alone. But we’re raised to show kindness to every cat because that’s what God intended.” 

“God?” 

“Kin,” He responded, as if that explained anything. “Sometimes we call her God, she watches over every cat on these streets and she gives us guidance and blessings when we need it. When our time here is up, Kin will retrieve our souls and lead us up to take our place in the stars beside our ancestors to live out the rest of our afterlife together, and we ourselves become the stars, helping God to watch our descendance, and guide them.” 

“Woah…” What a fascinating thought: seasons worth of cats watching their kits and grandkits, assisting a _god_ in leading future generations. But what Wolf couldn’t picture, was an afterlife. “But-” 

Lex giggled, cutting Wolf off. “Hon, we’re not the cats to ask about Kin or the stars. Prophet Mary knows everything there is to know about God.” 

Mason flicked his tail as if to say “I’m getting there, Lex” and continued on. “Our gang,” he gestured with his forepaw. “Is called the Tempered. We live in an old twoleg church on the outskirts of the city. Our leader, Prophet Mary, has a direct connection to God and can speak to her in a way no one else can. We look after each other, keep each other healthy, fed, and happy. We’re one big family.” At that, Twist leaned over and licked Lex’s cheek, she batted his muzzle away affectionately, the two appeared to be mates, or at least courting. Mason continued on, “Speaking of, where’s your family?” 

Wolf stopped eating again, still crouched low with her paws beneath her body. Her tail flicked quickly against the ground a few times as she finished chewing and replied to the large tom. “I don’t have one. My mother sent my brothers and I off nine days ago.”

“Why?”

“She said it’s how cats live.” Wolf shrugged. 

Mason, Twist, and Lex exchanged a few looks, silently communicating something to each other. Twist and Lex nodded, and Mason dipped his head in return, having come to a silent conscientious. He turned back to the young molly and spoke. “Why don’tcha come with us then?” 

“Join the Tempered?”

“Not necessarily, no cat deserves to be alone out here, not when Don’s lurking around here…” The way he hissed that name sent a shiver down Wolf’s spine. “Just stay with us for a while, get some meat on you,” He reached out a paw and prodded at her belly, Wolf giggled despite herself, finding an unintentional smile on her face. “You can leave whenever you want, but we accept anyone willing to learn the ways of the Tempered and how to serve Kin by carrying out her goodwill.” 

Lex grinned hopefully, ears raised and a kind glint in her eyes. “Whatcha say, Wolf?” 

This was quite the sudden offer. Wolf licked her lips, sitting down and cleaning the blood off her muzzle while she contemplated this choice. On one paw, Scrap had warned her to only trust herself because no one is truly kind or selfless… and so far that had proved true. On the other paw, these three cats had worked together to effortlessly catch two huge rats and then offered one of them to Wolf for nothing in return. It seemed that Mason truly was, as he said, serving Kin by carrying out her goodwill. With a sigh, Wolf nodded resolutely, turning her ice blue eyes to meet the expectant gazes of all three cats. 

“Lead the way, Mason.” Wolf replied boldly, her heart thundering in her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! The adventure is just beginning! Thank you so much for reading, all feedback and comments are greatly appreciated! I hope to get the next chapter out in the next few days or so, so keep an eye out! (Or don't, I won't know lol)


End file.
